AUSTIN –The second Legacy Class largemouth bass of the 2018 Toyota ShareLunker season came out of the big bass hot spot Lake Fork March 8. Angler Michael Terrebonne of Cut Off, Louisiana caught the 13.00lb, 25-inch largemouth bass in 6ft of water during an annual family trip to the lake.

“We come to Lake Fork every year – it’s our favorite place to fish,” Terrebonne said. “We’ve talked about catching a ShareLunker before but we never imaged we would catch one that big. I still can’t believe I did it, when you actually catch one it’s such a shock.”

Terrebonne said although he caught a 9 pound bass on the same trip just a few days before, nothing compared to the experience of landing a double digit bass.

“I didn’t realize how big the fish was until it turned sideways and I realized it was huge,” Terrebonne said. “Everyone was so excited and yelling ‘Get the net! Get the net!’ When we got her onto the boat and saw how big she was and so full of eggs I know I definitely wanted to donate her to the ShareLunker program for spawning.”

The fish, now known as Toyota ShareLunker 572, was weighed and held at a local marina until Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) Inland Fisheries staff arrived to verify the catch and transport it to the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center (TFFC). The fish is now in the “Lunker Bunker” at the TFFC being monitored and cared for by hatchery staff to prepare for spawning.

“We are very grateful that Mr. Terrebonne decided to loan this impressive fish to the Toyota ShareLunker program,” said Kyle Brookshear, Toyota ShareLunker program coordinator. “Growing bigger, better bass for future generations depends on us being able to selectively breed the state’s biggest fish, and we couldn’t do it without anglers like Mr. Terrebonne loaning their catches to us.”

The entry comes just a week after angler John LaBove caught and entered the first Legacy Class bass of the season. Labove caught Toyota ShareLunker 571, a 15.48lb largemouth bass out of Lake Fork March 2.

Every angler who loans a 13 pound or larger Legacy Class bass to the Toyota ShareLunker program during the spawning period Jan. 1 to March 31 will receive a Toyota ShareLunker Catch Kit containing branded merchandise and fishing tackle items, a 13lb+ Legacy decal, VIP access to awards programming at the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest, a replica of their fish, and an entry into the year-end ShareLunker Prize Drawing to win a $5,000 shopping spree and an annual fishing license. These anglers will also be entered into the Legacy Class Prize Drawing for a $5,000 shopping spree and an annual fishing license at the end of the spawning period March 31.

The Toyota ShareLunker Program is made possible by a grant to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation from Gulf States Toyota. Toyota is a longtime supporter of the Foundation and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, providing major funding for a wide variety of education, fish, parks and wildlife projects.